The next morning, I got up at the same time I would have, if we had class. I ate breakfast like normal. Only, instead of my uniform, I put on jeans, my Young Age All Might long sleeve shirt, and sneakers. I pulled out my sunglasses. And then a Kentucky Wildcats beanie my dad had sent me for my eleventh birthday. I still wasn't sure why he had picked it out. Maybe he had gotten it cheap because of one of his work collaborations. Mom was kinder, suggesting he remembered I had asked for a cat when I was four. Either way, it was American size, so it still fit me and I could tuck my hair into it.

I had come up with a practice plan for the morning, since I was suddenly free. I would walk around town. I would use Clairvoyance and close my eyes, and practice moving from a third person perspective, like most 3D action games. At the same time, I would have Empathy active. I would constantly feel the emotions of the people around me. It would let me build up skill levels for Telepathy and Clairsentience. I needed a total of fifty levels across all the skills in each of those disciplines, before I could buy the Intermediate level Talent. So I would work on them in a steady, academic manner.

Plus, I wanted to get use to how Telepathy felt. So far I had been using it mainly to send thoughts. Taking them in was different. And simple emotions would be both harder and easier than complex thoughts. And Empathy was also less of an invasion.

I said goodbye to Mom, and headed out. It was still early, and Saturday, so there weren't a lot of people on the street yet. It was weird, walking around with only Clairvoyance. In the Labyrinth, I had used it from the top down perspective, but only for quick glances. It was different using it constantly. Walking when my 'eyes' weren't directly above my feet. Reaching for things from a different perspective.

And the emotions felt good, calming. There were a few spots of sadness or anger, but for the most part the people were content if not always truly happy.

After I had been out for maybe an hour, my phone rang. I fished it out of my pocket, with some difficulty. Then I instinctively tilted my head down to look at the number. Of course, that didn't work. And my body was blocking the phone from my external perspective. So I shifted my view. The call was from the UA Office lines, so I answered it.

"Moshi-moshi?" I answered.

"Moshi-moshi, Midoriya-kun," Nezu greeted me.

"Principal Nezu?" I blurted in surprise.

"I'm sorry if I woke you after we gave you all the day off," he said regretfully.

"No, actually I am out, practicing," I told him, "May I ask why you called?"

"Hmm, if you are in public you will need to be careful what you say," he mused, "So I will do most of the talking. To put it simply I had an idea this morning. Since the others are working on the internship requests, I took a delivery for Lunch Rush. Namely, the animals for next week's meals. Did you know he does all of his own butchering? He says it is good for his knife work, and strength. But it also lets him test the meat and get the right cuts. Very fascinating, how slicing meat can changing the texture and even the flavor..."

"So you want to be a butcher?" I interrupted when he paused for breath.

"No," he sounded chagrined, "No, but I am going to borrow two of the carcases to practice my new acquired surgical skills."

"I see, that makes sense," I agreed.

"And the reason I called, was to ask if you wanted to do the same. Only with your Psybiology power."

"That's a good idea," I said, "I haven't had a good way to practice since I... learned that."

I had Psychometabolism, Basic. Except I hadn't had a means to acquire or improve the skill Psychic Surgery, outside of spending points. And I was just nervous of what Hormonal Interface would do. It said it would stimulate or suppress hormone secretion in someone. But what that meant and would do...

"In that case," Nezu told me, "we can arrange for you to come to UA tomorrow to level up your skills."

I managed not to react to that. Was he just trying to talk in a way he knew I would understand? Or had he actually figured out about The Gamer?

For that matter, should I tell him about The Gamer? It would make things easier, for me in general, and also for the plan to help All Might. I wasn't thinking of adding him to the Guild. But if I told him, and then put him in the Party, it would be easier to coordinate our actions, and Nezu-sensei would be able to see his skills. Tinker with them. And with his super-intelligence and teaching experience, might be able to give me some good suggestions.

"Okay," I said, "if it's not too much troub..."

There was a spike. Feelings of fear so strong they almost left an oily taste in my mouth. Was something happening? A Villain attack? No, it was too small and too focused. Like a single person in a panic. It could still be a Villain. Or it could just be that someone's phobia had accidentally triggered. Either way, I had to help.

"Midoriya-kun?" Nezu prompted.

"Sorry, just got distracted by something. But I think I should check it out."

"Should I alert the authorities, or send one of the teachers?" he asked, catching my tone.

"Not yet, it might be just be someone scared of a dog or a clown," I said, "But be ready, in case I call back."

"Understood," he said firmly, "I will stop distracting you then. Just remember you are not a licensed Hero, yet."

"I know. Goodbye."

"Goodbye," he answered. And then disconnected.

I moved quickly in the direction I felt the fear. Part of me considered canceling my Clairvoyance, to make things easier. Instead, I pushed the source higher, to get a broader view. To look for damage or explosions or the like. The fear my Empathy was detecting was not steady either. And then I saw why.

It was a little girl, walking alone down the street. She looked to be on the verge of tears. And she flinched wildly when anyone came close to her. She was about twenty meters ahead of me, and without my remote viewing I wouldn't have seen her through the thickening crowd of pedestrians.

She appeared to be about five or six. She had pale blue hair, almost white in color. Her eyes were red, and she had a single, spiral horn at her hairline above her right eye. She was painfully skinny. She was wearing a tattered, men's t-shirt like a loose dress, and her left arm was wrapped in bandages. And she had no shoes.

Was she a runaway? An abused or kidnapped child who had escaped? It didn't matter. She wasn't asking for help, so the crowd was ignoring her. I wouldn't.

I jogged forward, pushing past people so I could reach her. When I came to a stop in front of her, she started and her fear spiked again. Probably because I was paying attention to her.

I knelt down so I wouldn't tower over her. I took off my sunglasses so she could see my eyes. I looked her in the eyes and smiled gently.

"Do you need some help?" I asked.

She calmed almost immediately. She studied my face for a moment. Then I saw recognition in her eyes. She slumped somewhat in relief. And then jumped forward and latched onto me.

"It's brave fair and kind-kun," she said, her voice harsh, "I tried hard to be... Please... save Eri?"

I put one hand around her. I was afraid of hurting her, and didn't want to startle her or make her feel trapped.

"Are you Eri?" I whispered. She nodded her head into my arm.

"Of course I will save you," I said.

I snapped my point of view back into my body, but kept Empathy active, so I would know if I scared her. I reached for my phone again. I was a bit too focused on Eri's strong emotions, so I missed it until it was right on top of me.

"There you are, Eri," a new voice said from above me. Even as I looked up, I sensed his anger and worry. But worry for himself, not for anyone else.

He was tall and slender. He probably had at least twenty centimeters on me, though it was hard to tell from my current angle. He had short, ash-blonde hair. His eyes were mostly closed, but what I could see of them looked dark blue or grey. He was wearing dark navy blue Buddhist robes, but very expensive looking black leather loafers. I suppose his outfit could have been his pajamas, if he ran out in a hurry. But I didn't sense any concern for Eri from him.

Eri's fear skyrocketed. Her nails dug into my arm through my shirt. She was trembling. Even without Empathy, I would have known she was terrified.

"And who are you? What are you doing with her?" the blonde man asked me. His voice was even, but he had an undercurrent of aggression towards me, strong enough to ping both Empathy and Sense Hostility.

"I found her, wandering in this state," I said, "I was going to help her, find her something warmer to wear and then see if I could find where she belongs."

Again, no lies, but only because I seriously doubted that 'where she came from' was 'where she belongs'.

"Then I may owe you thanks," he said, his emotions settling slightly.

"Why?" I asked, "Who are you?"

"I am this girl's guardian," he said, "My boss asked me to keep watch over her. I guess you could call me her babysitter."

I wouldn't have thought Eri could get any more frightened. But her reaction to the word 'boss' chilled me. I instinctively wanted to destroy any person who could make this girl feel that level of despair and terror.

"And can you prove it?" I prompted carefully, "Because it doesn't seem like she wants to go with you."

"I did know her name," he responded, his anger rising.

"Which proves, at most, that you have good hearing," I countered, "Not that you have any legal or moral responsibility to her."

"Please, don't do this, Eri," he decided to ignore me for a moment, "You know how the boss gets. If you come back now, we can pretend this didn't happen. But if you don't, you know we will both get in trouble."

Eri trembled. But I felt a sliver of courage in her. She pulled her face out of my arm and looked at me again.

"Will you save me?" she whispered.

"I will," I told her again. Hope bloomed in her.

"We can just take this to the police substation at the end of the block," I said, trying to sound innocent, "They can contact the girl's parents and verify you are who you say you are."

"Didn't you hear me, kid?" he frowned, "That will get both of us in a lot of trouble."

"I would think her parents would be thankful," I said dubiously, "That you chased after her when she ran out. That you did the right thing to protect her, even if it was bit inconvenient for you and for them."

"Is there any way we can settle this without the police?" he asked, sounding tired.

"At this point, I don't think so," I told him, willing my Determination into my voice.

"Fine," he sighed.

The air in front of me seemed to harden and become visible, like off-color glass. A barrier sprang up, forcing Eri and I apart. Splitting off me from the girl and the man I could only assumed at this point was a kidnapper.

I rapped the shield lightly with my knuckles. It rang like a temple bell. Then, still in my crouched position, I pivoted on the balls of my feet. Turned into a right cross, putting my weight and TK Aura into it. The barrier shattered like glass. I grabbed Eri, and carefully but firmly pulled her into a tighter and more protective embrace.


Tengai Hekiji was amazed and a bit worried. It was a hasty and weak barrier. But it still would have stopped a small caliber bullet or most low level Quirks, without being damaged. For this kid to break it so easily...


"You shouldn't have done that," the blonde man told me menacingly.


"I would say the same thing to you," the boy argued. The kid wasn't angry or confident. It was like a simple statement of fact. But Hekiji saw a hint of relief in the boy's green eyes.

"Oh?" the yakuza officer prompted, "And why is that?"


"Because, I AM HERE!"

The blood drained from the blonde man's face. He looked back and saw, yes, the Symbol of Peace was standing behind him. And the crowd, while awed, was instinctively making space.

Of course, as soon as I knew things were going badly, and that I couldn't get my phone out easily, I put out a call in Guild chat. Mom said she would call the police. And everyone else agreed to come save the girl. All Might told them to wait, that he was already on his way.

"What seems to be the trouble here, young Midoriya?" All Might asked me directly.

"I found this girl wandering the street," I answered, even though he already knew the basics, "I said I would help her, and then this person showed up. He says he is her guardian, but when I suggested we go to the police to verify it, he tried to take her by force, using his Quirk."

"Well, that sounds quite damning," All Might said, "Do you have anything to add, or to say for yourself, sir?"

"Barrier."

The dome reappeared. But this time it was bigger, and seemed a lot tougher. And it separated the the blonde man from both Eri and I, and All Might. The probably crook turned and ran. The barrier engulfed part of the crowd, and he forced his way into them. Then the first dome disappeared, and two more appeared, forming a sort of Venn diagram. It gave him two ways to go. And by the time he released them, he was thoroughly lost in the crowd. Which was growing due to All Might's presence. I could feel his fear and rage. I could have tracked him, but I had something more import to protect. All Might seemed ready to go after him. Then he looked at me, and the still trembling Eri, and he came to the same conclusion I did.

"You should both come with me," Yagi-sensei announced. I scooped Eri up and stood. One hand under her, one hand around her. Her head resting on my shoulder. And I followed All Might as he turned and jogged back towards UA.


"I see you don't have her," Chisaki's voice echoed slightly in the plague mask he always wore.

"I'm sorry, Overhaul," Hekiji bowed deeply, "I found her, but a boy interfered. Eri seemed very attached to him, and he would not let me near her. I was trying to avoid drawing attention to myself or the situation. But then, All Might appeared."

"Was All Might really there?" Nemoto asked.

"Yes," Hekiji confirmed as his fellow officer's Quirk took hold, "He seemed to know the boy, and took their side."

Overhaul sighed, "If that's the case, I guess there was nothing to do. It's a good thing you weren't captured."

"I'm sorry, sir," the blonde man dropped his head lower.

"Is there anything else?" Overhaul said, "Do you have any sense why Eri chose that kid?"

"He was short, and was wearing an odd cap. It must have been British, because it had the letters UK, and a picture of a pouncing lion. And All Might called him Midoriya."

"What, like Midoriya Izuku?" Rappa suddenly jumped in. Everyone else turned to look at him.

"He's the kid who won on the first day of the UA Sports Festival. I remember the girl was watching almost as intently as I was."

"That explains why she latched onto him," Overhaul said. Then he ordered his lieutenants, "Find out everything you can about this 'Midoriya Izuku'. If Eri is attached to him, finding him will help us find her. And might give us a means to get her back quietly."

"Are you sure?" Nemoto asked, without using his Quirk, "They probably handed her over to the police or the Office for Child Safety Services."

"Perhaps," Overhaul agreed, "But if he is an emotional blanket for her, then they will probably keep him close at hand."


The teachers of UA were gathered in the conference room. Partly because the lounge was buried in the paperwork of internship offers. But also because this was a more serious matter.

On the wall, one of the monitors was watching the nurse's office. Currently there were three people in there. The young girl, now in a clean hospital gown, asleep in one of the beds. The green haired youth, who wouldn't leave her side. Not that he could have if he wanted to, even asleep she had a death grip on his hand. And Aizawa Shota, watching over them.

"At 9:37 this morning, Midoriya Izuku encountered this girl, Eri," Nezu clicked a button, and a second monitor showed a picture they had taken of the frightened and disheveled child when she arrived.

"She was alone, and as you can see, not properly dressed to be outside. Izuku reported that she was frightened in general, but flinched away from other people."

The assembled Heroes suppressed their anger at the classic sign of abuse.

Nezu continued, "But when he approached her, she latched on to him."

"Why is that?" Snipe wondered aloud.

"On the way back, she kept calling young Midoriya 'brave fair and kind-kun'," All Might offered, "She probably saw him in the Sports Festival."

"After that, they were approached by this man, Tengai Hekiji," Nezu brought up a picture of the blonde man on a third screen.

"Shie Hassaikai?" Present Mic read dubiously, "He's yakuza thug?"

"Now I know most people consider the yakuza to be relics of the past, but this particular group has been making a name for themselves in the last few months. Most yakuza groups eschew modern Villainy in favor of old world 'honor'. But the Shie Hassaikai have been combining the two. Their current boss has taken a Villain name. Chisaki Kai, a.k.a. Overhaul."

"What would the yakuza want with a little girl?" Advisory prompted, "Have they gotten into human trafficking?"

"I can answer that." They had missed the door opening, but all turned to look at the unfamiliar voice. It took them a second to realize who they were looking at. Not surprising, given she was at least forty centimeters taller and the wrinkles on her face were reduced to a few crow's feet around her eyes.

"Recover Girl?" the other Heroes stammered in unison.

"Yes," she confirmed, "The girl panicked and did this to me. I need to do a more thorough test, but I am relatively sure that she has made me somewhere between twelve and fifteen years younger."

"That's amazing," Midnight purred.

"Certainly a Quirk worth fighting over," Cementoss stated.

"Except she can't control it," Aizawa whispered. He was listening in, through an earbud, "If I hadn't stopped her, who knows what might have happened."

"You could have held off another ten to fifteen seconds," the Heroine doctor complained, "And she would have stopped after no more than a minute. The main reason she is asleep is because using her Quirk tired her out so much. She was starting to get a fever and was also dehydrated by it. I gave her a drip, both for fluids and for nutrients. Gods know the poor thing needs it."

"So they are hoping to train her to be their own personal fountain of youth?" Present Mic suggested, "I can certainly see that being worth a fortune."

"Except it's not that simple," Nezu's expression grew thunderous. And Recovery Girl matched his rage.

"Why not?" Ectoplasm asked.

"Because they have been experimenting on her," Recovery Girl hissed. She pointed her own stick mouse at the fourth screen, and a medical scan appeared.

"They have been gouging out portions of her skin, muscle, and even bone," she barely kept from shouting, "just cutting tissue out of her. And somehow putting her back together. But badly. Her skin looks fine, but underneath her muscle and bones have scars and fused tissue... She is young and we will start treating her. But if this had gone on even a few more years, she would have been in agonizing pain for the rest of her life. And that's just her arms. I wasn't able get a scan of her torso, yet."

"Who would do this to a child?" Advisory was on the verge of tears. Mic, too.

"I don't know," Recovery Girl literally growled, "But if I ever find out, I will kiss him to death."

"Overhaul," Nezu said darkly, "His Quirk is listed as the ability to break down and reassemble matter. It sounds like he is the one who tried to heal her, but he either doesn't know how to do it right. Or more likely, simply doesn't care."

"So why aren't we rolling into his hideout, and turning them into paste," Snipe asked.

"Because we are not Vigilantes," All Might said, "We don't have any active threat to respond to. It is possible that they rescued the girl from a rival group."

That got him incredulous stares.

"I don't believe it either," he agreed, "But without proof or police authorization, any move we make would be illegal and open for their lawyers to counter."

"More importantly," Nezu continued, "the Shie Hassaikai has a dozen bases that TMPD is aware of, and probably more that they don't. If we went to the wrong base, they would just go to ground."

"Also," the dog-mouse added, "We don't know who the girl is. Someone has done a very thorough job of erasing her from the system. It won't be enough, but it will take me time to find and reconstruct her history."

"So what do we do?" Ectoplasm asked.

"Investigate. Both Eri and the Shie Hassaikai. Now that they have a credible crime, TMPD is stepping up their efforts against the group, and we will help. And I have already contacted child services, and due to both her connection to Midoriya-kun, and the need for Eraserhead to keep her Quirk under control, they have agreed to allow Eri to remain in UA custody for the time being."

"So that's it?" Snipe asked carefully.

"I doubt it," Nezu said, "There is a good chance the Hassaikai will make a move. But for the time being, all we can do is wait and return to our work."


"I have found him," Kurogiri reported.

"What's he doin'?" Harley asked.

"Hiding on a rooftop, observing," the dimension user reported, "Since the attack on Ingenium, the Heroes in and around Hosu have been more cautious and traveling in groups."

"Ha," Shigaraki laughed derisively, "I guess the Batman wannabe forget that in stealth games you have to hide the body after you kill them."

"Should I bring him in?" Kurogiri asked.

"I vote no," Harley said immediately, her accent softer and her tone serious, "We don't have an adequate profile of him. He may not be a good fit. He may not react well. I think we should observe him for a few days, before we make our move."

"I agree with Harley," the TV said.

"Fine, sensei," Shigaraki pouted, "But I don't like that this Stain creep is stealing our fame points. Since he took out that goody-two-shoes speedster, I haven't seen anything about the USJ attack."

"Don't fret, Shigaraki Tomura," the TV said, "We have other promising recruits lined up, and a handful of Nomus nearing completion."

"Great," the game obsessed Villain grinned, "I can't wait to see how the world reacts when the League strikes back."


Status Changes for Midoriya Izuku:

Attributes:
(C)harisma: 42 → 43

Skills:
Empathy (C/I): 5 → 32
Clairvoyance (I/W) : 17 → 34